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UPDATE: June 3, 2020
Curfew has been extended in Los Angeles County:
10:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 – 5:00 a.m. Thursday, June 4.
This will apply to South Pasadena as well, being under jurisdiction of the County.
The South Pasadena Police Chief, Joe Ortiz, projects that the curfew will be reinstated throughout the rest of this week in the County and South Pasadena.
Facing the potential for another round of protests, a 6 p.m. curfew across Los Angeles County, including South Pasadena, has been instituted to help ease a spark from rioters and looters — groups largely not accepted as protestors.
The extension to the curfew was to end at 6 a.m. on June 2, but continues on Tuesday into June 3rd. Police Chief Joe Ortiz said in a brief statement on Tuesday that the curfew may extend throughout the end of the week as George Floyd, the man killed by an officer on Monday May 25, will be buried on Thursday. Ortiz anticipates more demonstrations as a result of this. Outside of some holding signs in support of protesters, a calmness remains over South Pasadena.
“No persons shall travel or be upon public streets, avenues, alleys, parks, ways or any other public place in the County of Los Angeles for the duration of this curfew,” reads a statement from the City of South Pasadena. “
In the statement, the city indicated the following are exempt:
• Law enforcement personnel
• Firefighting personnel
• Emergency health care providers
• Emergency medical personnel
• Civilians engaged in police or emergency work
• Individuals seeking emergency care
• Individuals experiencing homelessness who are sheltering in place
• Individuals travelling to and from their place of employment, and
• Representatives of the media
Protests broke out around the country nearly a week ago following actions by the police in Minneapolis resulting in the death of George Floyd.
From New York to Los Angeles, including multiple cities in between, memories of the 1992 riots following the beating of Rodney King, a black man beaten by LAPD officers during San Fernando Valley traffic cop.
Hit hard by protestors over the weekend were Santa Monica, LA’s Civic Center, and the Fairfax District near The Grove, prompting looting, vandalism, arrests and fires in Los Angeles County, already facing hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The curfew comes at a time when hundreds of National Guard troops are filling the nation’s streets as nightly curfews have been established and county state of emergencies are in place as civic leaders call for peace.
Close to home, at Pasadena City Hall Sunday night a loud but calm prayer vigil was held.
Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Kathryn Barger says this comes at an already difficult time in America. “This emergency comes as we are in the midst of battling another emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said in a statement.”This taxes our resources, but not our resolve. We will do everything in our power to keep our communities safe and protect lives and property. I continue to call on our residents to maintain calm and seek solutions productively, not destructively.”
Los Angeles County officials have proclaimed a state of emergency. Outside of some holding signs in support of protesters, a calmness remains over South Pasadena.
“This is a time for us to come together to stand against injustice in ways that will make us stronger as a county and as a nation,” said Barger. “If you are assembling to protest, please do so peacefully and with respect for all those who are suffering.”
